Happy Birthday William Wyler! Born today in 1902, this French-born German-Swiss screenwriter, producer and film director is regarded in making many notable works in cinematic history.
British non-fiction author and film magazine editor Ian Freer calls Wyler a "bona fide perfectionist", whose penchant for retakes and an attempt to hone every last nuance, "became the stuff of legend."
Of the 1920s, Wyler is known for directing the the 1929 American black and white Western/drama film 'Hell's Heroes'.
Of the 1930s, Wyler is best known for directing the 1936 American black and white drama/romance film 'Dodsworth', the 1938 American black and white romance/drama film 'Jezebel' and the 1939 American black and white romance/historical drama film 'Wuthering Heights'.
In 'Dodsworth', Wyler had an uncredited role as Violin Player in Orchestra.
The latter film had based off of English novelist and poet Emily Brontë's titular 1847 romance tragedy Gothic fiction novel.
Of the 1940s, Wyler is best known for directing the 1942 American black and white romantic war/drama film 'Mrs. Miniver', the 1946 American black and white drama/war film 'The Best Years of Our Lives' and the 1949 American black and white drama/romance film 'The Heiress'.
Also of the the 1940s, Wyler is known for directing the 1940 American black and white Western/drama film 'The Westerner' and the 1940 American black and white noir crime drama film 'The Letter'.
A year after its release, 'Mrs. Miniver' won six Oscars, including Best Picture. This occurred at the 15th Academy Awards in early March 1943.
A year after its release, 'The Best Years of Our Lives' won eight Oscars, including Best Picture. This occurred at the 19th Academy Awards in mid-March 1947.
Of the 1950s, Wyler is best known for directing the 1953 American black and white romance/comedy film 'Roman Holiday' and the epic 1959 American Eastman Color historical drama/adventure film 'Ben-Hur'.
It had been based off of American lawyer, governor, politician, diplomat, author and Union general in the American Civil War Lew Wallace's 1880 Christian literature historical fiction novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.
The film was shot with Panavision cameras and lenses by three camera crews supervised by American cinematographer Robert L. Surtees, A.S.C.
It was the fastest-grossing, as well as the highest-grossing film of 1959, becoming the second highest-grossing film in history at the time, after 'Gone with the Wind'. On a budget of $15.2 million, 'Ben-Hur' grossed $146.9 million at the box office on its initial release.
Also of the 1950s, Wyler is known for directing the 1956 American De Luxe Color Civil War/drama family film 'Friendly Persuasion' and the 1958 American Technicolor epic Western/drama film 'The Big Country'.
Wyler's ability to direct a string of classic literary adaptations into huge box-office and critical successes made him one of "Hollywood's most bankable moviemakers" during the 1930s and 1940s and through to the 1960s.
On February 8, 1960, for his contributions to the motion picture industry, Wyler got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 1731 Vine Street.
Two months later, 'Ben-Hur', aside from winning Best Picture, captured a record eleven Oscars. This occurred two months later at the 32nd Academy Awards in early April 1960.
'Ben-Hur' was only one of three films ever in cinematic history to accomplish this win. The other two were James Cameron's 'Titanic' (1997) and Peter Jackson's 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' (2003).
Of the 1960s, Wyler is known for directing the 1961 American black and white romance/drama film 'The Children's Hour' (released as 'The Loudest Whisper' in the United Kingdom) and the 1968 American Deluxe Color heist comedy/crime film 'How to Steal a Million'.
hrough his talent for staging, editing, and camera movement, he had turned dynamic theatrical spaces into cinematic ones.
Laurence Olivier credited Wyler with teaching him how to act for the screen.
He said: "If any film actor is having trouble with his career, can't master the medium and, anyway, wonders whether it's worth it, let him pray to meet a man like William Wyler."
And Bette Davis, who received three Oscar nominations under his direction and won her second Oscar for 'Jezebel'.
She had said about the director: "It was all Wyler. I had known all the horrors of no direction and bad direction. I now knew what a great director was and what he could mean to an actress. I will always be grateful to him for his toughness and his genius."
In 1989, 'The Best Years of Our Lives' was one of the first twenty-five films selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
In 1990, 'Dodsworth' was included in the annual selection of twenty-five motion pictures added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and recommended for preservation.
In 1996, 'The Heiress' was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
In 1997, 'Dodsworth' was nominated for AFT’S 100 Years...100 Movies.
In 1998, the American Film Institute named 'Ben-Hur' the 72nd Best American Film and also the second best American epic film in the AFI's 10 Top 10.
In 1999, 'Roman Holiday' was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
In 2004, the National Film Preservation Board selected 'Ben-Hur' for preservation by the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
In 2006, 'Mrs. Miniver' was ranked #40 on the American Film Institute's list celebrating the most inspirational films of all time.
Also in 2006, the film was ranked #40 on the American Film Institute's list celebrating the most inspirational films of all time.
In 2007,'Wuthering Heights' was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Also in 2007, 'Dodsworth' was nominated again for AFI’s 100 Years...100 Movies.
According to Wyler’s personal life, he had been married twice.
This first was to American actress of stage and film Margaret Sullivan (m. 1934; div. 1936).
The second was to American actress Margaret Tallichet (m. 1938). She had stayed married to Wyler until his death.
From these two wives, Wyler had been a father to five children.
Wyler’s most notable relative was his cousin. This was American businessman Carl Laemmie, Jr. He was the heir of Carl Laemmie, who had founded Universal Studios.
Wyler is still the only person in film history to direct three Best Picture Oscar winners.
Wyler had been active from 1925–1970.
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